Are You Ready?!?

[sensei8]

This topic is NOT about passing judgement about how a MA school approaches Testing Cycles, a.k.a., belt tests. 

How does your MA school approach belt tests??

There’s no wrong answer because of either phrase “you say tomato, I say tomato” and/or “You say potato, I say potato”, which illustrates differing perspectives. 

Here’s how we prep upcoming Testing Cycles…WE DON’T!! We let the chips fall where they may.

Prepping for a belt test puts the importance on rank and nowhere else!!

An unannounced belt test is preferred because either one is ready to defend themselves or one is not!! Not both!!

You want to prep for a belt test?!? Fine!! Make sure you attend regular classes and practice as though your life depends on it!!

CI should be focusing on fundamentals, improving physical and mental conditioning at every class and not be concerned with any testing cycle without ignoring, for example, the three K’s: Kihon, Kata, and Kumite.

Every passed Testing Cycle is a measured advancement of ones maturity in techniques.

Regular class and practice…that’s the prep; focus on class and practice which is the focus on the fundamentals.

You outwitted my chancellor and you bested my swordsman whenever the floor is in play. The floor should always be a serious place and not a place where rank is first and foremost.

I’ve witnessed schools of the MA that concentrate on the next testing cycle and not on the fundamentals. Making sure that the students are ready for the test by concentrating on the next test requirements and nothing else. Whereas, and because of that, those students are not ready for the streets.

Imho!!

Edited 4 hours ago by sensei8

[Furinkazan]

3 hours ago, sensei8 said:

Here’s how we prep upcoming Testing Cycles…WE DON’T!! We let the chips fall where they may.

Is there at least a syllabus, so that the students can practice on their own at home?  I think a problem that can arise from this is the material they need not being covered on the day they show up.

 

3 hours ago, sensei8 said:

Prepping for a belt test puts the importance on rank and nowhere else!!

IMO, the very existence of tests already does that.  The last BJJ school I trained at did belt promotions every quarter, but there were no tests.  You were simply promoted based on how you were evaluated on regular training days.

 

3 hours ago, sensei8 said:

An unannounced belt test is preferred because either one is ready to defend themselves or one is not!! Not both!!

Unannounced or short notice?  Because “unannounced” creates a “right place at the right time” scenario that leaves out guy that did movie night with wife and kids because he was unable to schedule that around the test.

 

3 hours ago, sensei8 said:

CI should be focusing on fundamentals, improving physical and mental conditioning at every class and not be concerned with any testing cycle without ignoring, for example, the three K’s: Kihon, Kata, and Kumite.

This is why I think the list of testable items need to be kept short.  If the list is too long, there’ll be little to no time to do things that are not on the test.